A Plea 


FOR THE a 
ar Ke bi: 


SABBATH-SCHOOL SYSTEM, 
DELIVERED FEB. 2, 1830, AT THE ANNIVERSARY 
=“, A : oy THE 
Gettysburg Swidan=Scirool, 
DE 
: S. S. SCHMUCKER, " 
' Professor of Christian Theology in the Theological Seminary 
at Gettysburg. ‘ 


jet! 


Published by the theological Students and other teachers of said school. 


% 
af 
3 : 
s 
: GETTYSBURG : a 
PRINTED AT THE PRESS OF THE THEOL. SEMINARY. 
baie ? | -«. G. NEINSTEDT, PRINTER. 9 
awe 1830. 
h once e ‘ a 
vce we 
; ‘ 
e. ig 


- 


ee ee (ee Oe Te Say ome CLT ae Ene bs VRS © Set Pe ee One ae GaN 
: : ray | ens nt coe ¢ ee ayo GFR Gee ye Rubtiry i gs a i ey ge 4 
Rib e Sa etaalimae! tl rm ihe I ef 
} is ie ites Mie i) el ee | . me 
; ee ee eae i 


FR, 


PREP ACE. > ae 


eee 


THE following discourse was delivered before the 
students of the Theological Seminary, and other teachers 
and friends of the Sunday-School of Gettysburg, as well as 


delegates from the different schools in the neighbouring 


‘country ; who attended for the purpose of forming a County 


Union, auxiliary to the American Sunday-School Union. 
Soon after its delivery, a committee of teachers waited on 
the author, requesting the manuscript for publication. As 
two thirds of the sermon had been delivered extemporaneous- 
ly, and the author had no desire to appear before the public, 
he declined acceding to the. request. Several weeks after- 
wards, the same bommittes repeated their application, stat- 


ing that a desire to see the sermon printed, and a belief that 


it would beuseful, extensively prevailed. | Under these. ..., 


circumstances, the author felt it his duty to write out his 
recollections of what he delivered, and commit them to the 


disposal of those, at whose request he, on this occasion, un- 


_dertook to advocate the noble cause of sabbath-schools. 


* 


oh 


§ “he 7 


Tair fui 


cach 
oad at aoe Ay. ie 


a, cena, whigadl Tie 5 a 6 ORM 
et ist a1 


PLBA 


FOR THE 


SABBATH-SCHOOL SYSTEM. 


ee 


Prov. x1v, 34. “Righteousness exalteth a nation? 


WHEN we cast our eyes over the history of the church, 
and contemplate her rise, progress and various fluctuations, 
we find, that, though there never was a time, in which 
the gates of hell prevailed against her, yet had she her sea- 
sons of adversity as well as of prosperity. At one time, we 
see the sword of persecution suspended over her by the 
hand of Pagan emperors, and the sacramental host of mar- 
tyrs slaughtered by hundreds and thousands amidst circum- 
stances of the most repulsive cruelty, or, chained to the 
stake, mingle their expiring breath with the devouring flame. 
At another, we sce her reclining in the arms of imperial 
favour, and secularized by unhallowed union with civil 
power, and degenerating from century to century into a 
mere political engine : her simple doctrines being transform- 
ed into scholastic jargon, her holy precepts relaxed into a 
filthy system of mercenary righteousness, until all her glo- 
ries areshrouded in Egyptian night. But He who command- 
ed light to shine out of darkness, bade one constellation af- 


ter another, arise amid the gloom that brooded over her ; 


i 


6 
until, at length, he blessed the world with the mid-day splend- 


our of the glorious Reformation. Thus, if weeping was 
the portion of his church for the night, it was succeeded 
by the joy of the morning. 

In such a day of joy in Zion, has our happy lot bom 
cast. Fourty years ago, the enemies of Christianity believ- 
ed they had almost entirely swept our holy religion from 
the earth. They boastingly predicted, that, in half a cen- 
tury, not a bible would be found, save here and therea 
neglected copy, covered with dust, asa memorial of the 
superstition of former ages. But ah! could the wretched 
Voltaire, and Volney, and Paine, now look out from their 
dark den of perdition—how changed is the scene! The 
beastly debauchery and coldblooded murder, with which 
their principles deluged Europe, struck a panic into the 
public mind, produced a general reaction, and convinced 
both rulers and people, that, be Christianity true or false, the 
nation, which tramples under foot its sacred precepts, is ac- 
cursed. ‘The church has awaked from her dream of infide- 
lity, and has, in many places, shaken herself from the corrup- 
tions of former ages. The chosen few, who, through the 
struggle never bowed the knee to Baal, aided by others 


since entered on the stage, have tasked their powers to the 


utmost, and spread the book of Ged, and the religion of heav- 


en, over a large portion of our earth. Christians in gen- 
eral, beginning to feel, that upon them too devolves the du- 


ty of sending the gospel to every creature, have formed 


themselves into various voluntary associations, to come up 


to the help of the Lord against the mighty. And, if there 


are any features in the religious character of the present 


age, on which the angels of heaven, and the God of heaven, 
look down with peculiar delight ; the present unprecedented 
effort to diffuse intelligence and religious principles over 
the whole rising generation, the gigantic, noble enterprize 
of sabbath-school instruction is certainly one. How deeply 
you, my hearers, sympathize in this general feeling, and how 
willingly you co-operate in the great work, is attested by 
your presence here this day. 

_ Called on to address you on this important theme, I 
have selected, as the basis of my discourse, the words of 
Solomon: “Righteousness exalteth a nation.” 

Whilst the effect of sabbath-schools unavoidably init 
be, to diffuse general intelligence among the future citizens 
of our youthful republic, the most important and principal 
object aimed at confessedly is, to instruct them on the mo- 
mentous subject of their everlasting interests, to instil into 
their minds the principles of the religion of Jesus, and thus 
lead them to that righteousness or godliness, which is profit- 
able unto all things, having the promise of the life that now 
is, and of that which is to come. That righteousness does 
exalt a nation, we take for granted upon the authority of the 
inspired writer. Hence, if sabbath-schools tend to promote 
righteousness, they must tend to exalt the nation. Both 
propositions stand more in need of illustration than formal 
proof. In discussing them, we shall call your attention to 
the following inquiries : 

WHAT IS HERE MEANT BY RIGHTEOUSNESS ? 

HOW DO SUNDAY-SCHOOLS TEND TO RXALT A NATION £ 

Passing over the interpretation of those, who render the 


original “almsgiving exalteth a nation,’? we remark, that by 


8 


righteousness in reference to man, is, in Scripture, generally 
meant, virtuous conduct proceeding from proper motives. 
As different degrees of light were enjoyed by men, under 
the different economies of the covenant of grace, it follows, 
that, although righteousness is substantially the same inall 
men, Whether living under the Adamic, the Abrahamic, the 
Mosaic, or the Christian dispensation ; yet must its stand- 
ard be gradually elevated, as new accessions of light are 
given. Accordingly, righteousness under the gospel dispen- 
sation, signifies sincere obedience to the law of God, in all 
its spirituality, as developed in the books of the New Cov- 
enant, or as we now term it, true piety. Nor is sincerity its 
only attribute ; it must be universal, the effort of obedience 
must extend to all the requisitions of the entire law, whether 
they relate to public or private life, whether they define our 

. duties to our God, or to ourselves, or to our fellowmen. In 
proportion, then, as civil rulers are righteous, they will 
conform to the inspired command: *‘Judge righteously be- 
tween every man and his brother, and the stranger that is 
with him. Ye shall not respect persons in judgement, ye 
shall hear the small as well as the great; yeshall not be 
afraid of the face of man, for the judgement is God’s.” 
The law, which they enact, willbe just and impartial in 
their provisions, and be executed without respectto persons. 
A righteous ruler will neither favour the rich, nor grind the 
faces of the poor. A righteous administration will suppress 
vice, as the grand source of national evil, and promote inte- 
grity and virtue, as the basis of civil liberty and prosperity. 
The motives to this obedience are embodied in the sa- 


cred volume. They are not to be sought in those subjec- 


9 


tive diversities of sectarian opinion, to which human nature 
has ever been prone to attach too much importance. ‘These 
exert no perceptible influence on the lifeand practice of men. 
Who, at the present day, would assert, that persons of equal- 
ly distinguished piety and zeal, may not be found in either 
of the orthodox denominations, or that our being distinctive- 
ly a nation of Lutherans, or Presbyterians, or Congrega- 
tionalists, or Episcopalians, will exalt us in the eyes of our 
heavenly Father? But the grand fountain of motive, whence 
true righteousness flows, must be sought in those truths, 
which constitute the prominent features of the moral 
government of God ; such as the nature and character of the 
lawgiver; the extent, spirituality and obligations of his 
law; the rewards and ‘punishments annexed to it ; the char- 
acter of the subject and his inability to fulfil its requisitions 5 
_ andespecially the gracious aid that is offered him, by the 
glorious scheme of redemption through the divine Redeemer 
Jesus Christ. These are the prominent doctrines, which, 
from the very structure of our intellectual and moral na- 
ture, are best calculated to fill us with humble devotion, and 
prompt us to holy activity. It is the love of these truths, 
which is teaching the different denominations of Chiistians 
in our land, to regard each other as brethren, which is filling 
our nation with the most formidable host of voluntary as- 
sociations, which Satan has ever beheld arrayed against 
his kingdom. If any man deny these fundamental aspects 
of divine truth, he saps the foundations of all righteousness. 
The maxim of the celebrated Christian Father, Augustine, 
that “no man can lead a pious life, whose faith is erroneous,” 
is correct when confined to the prominent features of revealed 
B 


10 

truth. As virtue is voluntary obedience to truth, it cannot 
be obedience to error; and the general character of a man’s 
opinions, must have some influence on his conduct. Ifthe 
man who believes that there is no God, or that he does not 
punish the transgressions of the wicked, is an honest man 
and a good citizen; he certainly has less reason for being 
so, than his Christian neighbour. 

Now, to instil these truths into the rising generation, is 
the grand object of sunday-schools. The bible is generally 
used as a text-book by all who are able to read it, and the 
human productions associated with it, are peculiarly such, 
as are calculated to exemplify, illustrate & enforce these truths. 
That these schools are the most efficient engine, ever set in 
motion for this purpose, is demonstrated by experience, and 
is conceded even by the trepidation of the enemy at their ex- 
tension. If, then, we receive as true the declaration of the 
text, that righteousness does exalt a nation, and if it be cer- 
tain that sabbath-schools do tend to promote righteousness ; 
the conclusion inevitably follows, that sabbath-schools tend 
to exalt a nation. ‘Vhere can be no escape from this infer- 
ence. Nor is it even pretended, that sabbath-schools are so 
mismanaged, as not to produce their proper effect. The 
enemies do not come with proposals for the improvement of 
the system; it is againstthe whole moral machinery that 
their battery is directed, and for the express reason, that its 
influence isso powerful! The fact being thus clearly estab- 
lished, it merely remains for us to particularize the mode of 
its operation, whilst we inquire secondly . 

HOW DO SABLA'TH-SCHOOL TEND TO EXALT A NATION ! 


We are not here called onto discuss the manner, in 


il 


which divine truth affects the mind; and merely make 
the passing remark, that no reason can be assigned, why 
moral truth should not have the same kind of intrinsic tend- 
ency to produce conviction, which belongs to mathemati- 
cal, analogical, or any other species of truth. Nor does our 
design embrace the nature of that additional divine in- 
fluence, which must accompany it, to render it effectual. The 
reality of this influence being clearly taught in Scripture, 
we shall be profited more by prayers for its bestowment, 
than by disputes about its nature. It is to the effects of sab- 
bath-schools, as exerted on individuals and on the commun- 


ity at large, that we wish to call your attention. 


As the duty of bringing up children in the nurture and 
admonition of the Lord, is so clearly taught in Scripture, and 
so obvious from the nature of the case, it is reasonable to 
expect, that it would receive much attention in the history of 
the church. That which comes nearest to the modern system 
of sabbath-schools, is the noble institution of catechetical in- 
struction, which has, with some exceptions, been practised 
~ more or less faithfully, in all ages of the church ; and in the 
hands of pious ministers and catechists, has always proved a 
blessed institution. As the Christian church degenerated, 
this institution also became corrupt. Under Charlemagne, 
a canon was made, directing all ministers to attend to cate- 
chisation, and to explain the doctr ‘ines of the creed in the 
vernacular tongue, that is, in the cor rupt Latin then preval- 
ent. Yetit soon sunk amid the night of the dark AgCS, and 
only by the Reformation was restored to its proper use. 
Since that time, instruction on this subject has been given to 


the theological student, as a regular branch of Pastoral Theo- 
ue 


12 


| logy, and many treatises on it are extant, from which some 
excellent precepts might be transferred to the manual of the 
sabbath-school teacher.. Inthe earlier ages, catechumens 
were sometimes divided into the proselytes, whether Jewish 
or Pagan, who embraced Christianity, and those who were 
the children of Christian parents. This latter class. of 
pupils was often, at least in part, the same with those of our 
sabbath-schools. 

Nor did Christian parents neglect the private instruc- 
tion of their. offspring. History exhibits many instances, 
in which the most distinguished luminaries of the church, re- 
corded, in terms of glowing gratitude, the parental care ex- 
pended in their early religious instruction. It may suffice 
to specify an Origen, an Augustine, a Cyril, and a Clement 
of Alexandria. 

And how many instances can, even at this early day, be 
adduced, of persons who have borne testimony to the blessed 
influence of sabbath-schools on their character in time, and 
their probable destiny in eternity? ‘The religious education 
of our offspring is an all-important, arduous work ; and those 
who labour to perform it faithfully, are most willing to ac- 
cept all the aid afforded by sabbath-schools. But how many 
parents, insensible of its importance, neglect this sacred du- 
ty ? How many others, from want of time, or of capacity, 
perform it very imperfectly ! And shall the young immortals 
therefore grow up in ignorance and vice, fit candidates for 
everlasting burnings ?. Ohno! the heart of every christian, 
of every philantropist will respond—let them be brought un- 
der the influence of sabbath-schools. By this noble institu- 
tion, the attention of parents themselves, is loudly called to 


r 


13 


the importance of a religious education ; they are prompted 
to rear with more sacred care, and watch with more tender 
solicitude the young immortals cominitted to their charge. 
Nor is this all. It furnishes them with the most desirable and 
efficient auxiliaries for the work. In our own land above 
60,000 individuals have been enlisted in this glorious cause, 
and are co-operating with parents in. training up the rising 
generation for usefulness on earth, and an eternity of glory 
beyond the grave! As volunteer legions, who, in the hour of 
danger, pour forth from their homes, and their families. to 
fight their country’s battles, are animated by a better spirit 
and more ardent zeal, than those whom necessity pressed in- 
to the ranks ; so our sabbath-school teachers are generally 
the very persons in every town and village, who feel most 
sensibly the importance of religious instruction, and will la- 
bour most zealously to disseminate it. And what arithmetic 
can calculate the rich harvest of eternal blessings, which is 
daily growing up from seed thus sown in youthful minds? Up- 
on theaged, the most faithful instruction is often thrown away. 
but rare indeed are the cases, in which the good impressions 
made on children, are ever fully erased. How often has not 
the seed thus sown, speedily germinated, and brought forth 
the most delightful and abundant fruit? How many young 
immortals have, in these schools, been made wise unto salva- 
tion? With what ardent feeling have they not uttered their 
gratitude to those, who early taught them to walk in the ways 
of God ; but in heaven, when treading the golden streets of 
the celestial city, and basking in therays wherewith the glo- 
ry of God & the Lamb do lighten that abode, with whatfeel- 
ing, think you, will the sabbath-scholar and his teacher mect! 


® 


14 


But not only children are numbered among the pupils of 
sabbath-schools. The bible being generally used by all who 
are capable of reading it, pupils of riper years, find in that 
sacred volume, abundant materials for study: and, by the 
various helps already published for bible classes, such reci- 
tations of more advanced persons, are rendered highly inte- 


resting alike to teacher and the taught. 


Nor is the influence of sabbath-schools on parents “un- 
worthy of notice. When irreligious parents see their child- 
ren preparing for sabbath-school, they are reminded, that the 
day of the Lord is intended for religious improvement 3 and 
may be led to reflect upon the manner, in which they them- 
selves spend itssacred hours. Curiosity leads them to look 
into the books, brought by the children from the sab- 
bath-school library —they look, they read, their heart is 
touched, and the books designed for the children, become the 
messengers of salvation to the parents. Children often re- 
quest instruction on the subject of their biblelessons. In or- 
der to give it, parents themselves must read the chapter, fab 
they read, and many are the cases, in which the words given 
by inspiration, flash conviction into the mind, and become 


the power of God unto the salvation of their souls! j 


The teachers also, are not labouring in vain, or spend- 
ing their strength for nought. As in intellectual science, so in 
morals, one of the most successful methods of acquiring pro- 
ficiency, is to teach. The sacred truths are not less efficaci- 
ous, nor the accompanying divine influence less copious, in 
the case of the teachers, than of the taught. No other method 


of spending the Lord’s day, could be better calculated to call 


15 


home the wandering thoughts, and rivet the attention on di- 
vine truth, and impress the soul with the reality and import- 
ance of religion, than the occupation of sabbath-school teach- 
ers. How many are the cases in which, whilst watering others, 
they have been watered themselves; in which, teaching others, 
God has graciously taught them? And can any thing be more 
congenial to the feelings of him, who has not merely a name 
to live, but has really passed from death unto life, than to 
spend a portion of his sabbath hours, in bringing home the 
lambs to the fold of Christ? Such exercise invigorates the 
christian’s graces, gives scope and energy to his benevolent 


sympathies, and engraves the traits of his Master’s charac- 


ter more deeply on his soul, It was the benevolence of ac- — 


tion, which characterized that most glorious and. divine 
teacher, who went about doing good, and that pre- -eminent 
exemplar of human teachers, who bade us labour for the 
mind which was in Christ Jesus, his master. It is for want 
of action, that many a christian character exhibits such a 


morbid, wavering feebleness ; and small indeed is the value, 


of that benevolence, which sheds the tear of sympathy over. 


the tale of imaginary sorrow, and gazes listless, and un- 
moved, upon the realities of human wretchedness. How 
truly christian, how salutary is the work of the sabbath-school 
teacher, how bright the glory encircling his path in this life, 
how great his reward in the kingdom of heaven! 

Such, then, being the salutary effects of savbath-schools 
on the Individuals, more immediately connected with them ; 
is it possible, that they can exert a different influence on the 
Community at large ? | 


Reason would expect, that, as nations are but anaggregate 


te 


16 
mass composed of individuals, the elements of national and 
individual prosperity and decline, must be the same. To 
this position, history bears unwavering testimony. Nations 
have their rise and fall, as well as individuals; and the 
causes which accelerate the one, produce the other. Vice is 
the grand high-way to national, no less than individual, ruin. 
Many are the nations, which have travelled this downward 
road ; and why should we expect, that the great King of na- 
tions, will arrest the wheels of revolving empire in our be- 


half, and not regulate our rise or fall by the same laws, which 


determine the destinies of other nations? On the contrary, 


no truth is more clearly established by history, than that 
nations in general are prosperous and happy, in propor- 
tion asthey are virtuous. What then are the effects ofsabbath- 
schools upon a nation? 

They tend to diminish the number of criminals in our 
land, by closing the avenues, from which our prisons and 
penitentiaries are filled. Enter one of these abodes of 
guilt, and converse with its miserable inmates about the im- 
portant truths of religion. Their ignorance will soon teach 
you, that neglect of religious education, is the fruitful mother 
of, by far the greater portion of penal misery, endured in our 
land. Finding food enough in this degenerate world, these 
habits grew with their growth and strengthened with their 
strength, until breaking forth in overt violation of the civil 
law, they conducted their victims to these abodes of wretch- 
edness. And, as they trod with heedless foot their down- 
ward course, no warning voice recalled them, no parental 
instructions recurred to their memory, no sabbath-school les- 


son of God’s anger at transgressors, filled them with alarm, 


ii 1 


17 

or arrested them in their way to ruin ! Sabbath-schools, by 
removing the cause of this evil, must tend to remedy the effect. 
The solemn sanctions of religion, impressed on the mind in 
carly years, exert a powerful influence in restraining men 
from sin. This belief is not mere theory. The experiment 
has been tried, and actual calculation proves, that compara- 
tively very few of those, who enjoyed this instruction, are ever 
arraigned at the bar of their country for the transgression of 
her laws ; and the Recorder of London states, that, among 
a class of population peculiarly degraded, out of two thou- 
sand children taught in sabbath-schools, only fourteen had 
ever been brought before him for crime. Be ook 

Again. sabbcth-schools tend to prevent the formation of 
that species of population, called in Europe canaille or rabble, 
which in all governments, and especially in republics, is the 
most dangerous. Ignorance, vice and extreme poverty, are 
the characteristics of these unfortunate beings. They are 
the natural product of an overgrown population, and an over- 
done state of business in old countries. » Neglected in their 
edacation, and void of moval principle, they are an addi- 
tion merely to the physical strength of the land ; and having 
nothing to lose by riot or revolution, they are ever ready to 
wield the club, the axe, or the bayonet for any demagogue 
or usurper, that will pay them best, or feed them with the 
brightest promises of a rapine or plunder. These are the mate- 
vials, which chiefly compose the standing armies of Europe, 
and which acted a prominent part in the murderous scenes of 
the French Revolution. Some master-spirits, “set on fire 
of hell,’’ did indeed ride on the whirlwind and direct the 
storm ; but it was generally the filthy, tattered, unprincipled 


C 


18 


mob, that wielded the murderous bayonet, and dragged its 
devoted victims to the sanguinary guillotine, in those pro- 
longed and fearful days, when infidel France was deluged in 
such brutal and murderous bloodshed, & polluted herself by such 
fiendlike desecration ofall the ties of nature and decency, as the 
sunnever before witnessed in his course. Such a population is, 
thanks be to God! as yet, almost unknown among us. A 
few of our prominent cities alone, present any thing resemb- 
ling it; and the vast extent of territory, over which our pop- 
ulation is sparsely scattered, removes to some distance the 
danger of its accumulation. Yet our characteristic pursuit 
of filthy lucre, the neglect of education both literary and re- 
ligious, in many parts of our country, the vast and increas- 
ing influx of foreigners, especially of the poorer and vicious 
class, forbid the hape that we are in no danger. Now what 
institution could promise more in counteracting this evil, than 
sabbath-schools, which bring gratuitous instruction, and re- 
ligious instruction too, and that drawn from the bible itself, 
within the reach of every family: No matter how poor or how 
-yicious the parents, the child is admitted to full participation | 
ofall the blessings of gospel light; and the book of God, and 
other holy books, are brought home to. parents, perhaps to 
bless them with eternal life. Ifevery citizen would encour- 
age sabbath-schools, and if necessary, aid in teaching; our 
happy land would be saved from the fearful curse of such a 
population, and the fair temple of our liberties continue to. 
afford our descendants protection and happiness, for centuries 
after the hands that reared it have mouldered in the grave. 
Again, sabbath-schools tend topreserve the purity and stab- 


iity of our political institutzons.. Man by the very structure 


19) 
of his mental nature isa religious being, and must have some 
religion. Few men have ever been, for any length of time, 
unwavering atheists. Even the far-famed Voltaire, when he 
felt his heart-strings breaking, and when he saw the hide- 
ous form of death before him, applied for consolation to the 
minister of that Jesus, whom he had so virulantly persecuted, 
_ so blasphemously vilified! No nation has ever been found, 
which had not some kind of religion ; and, consequently, no 
organized government has ever existed without it. Even 
the skeptical Polybius, the celebrated Greek historian, who 
flourished aboutacentury beforethe Christian era, and asthe 
relick of hisUniversal History proves, had carefully studied the 
governments of different nations, pronounces the religion of 
the Romans in the earlier ages of the Republic, the most use- 
ful feature of their government, the strongest pillar which 
sustained their liberties. How much more benign and effici- 
ent an influence must the pure, the baby precepts of. Chris- 
tianity exert on the nation sincerely embracing them ? What 
stronger barrier could be presented against intrigue and cor- 
ruption, than the dread of a righteous judgement, an — 
retribution. What more powerful motive to fidelity amid the 
storms of political animosity and conflicting interests, than 
the belief that all things are naked and opentu the eyes of Him 
with whom we have to do? Nor is it at all feinatleale that 
moral principle should be essential to the faithful administra- 
tion of agood government. What is government, but a civil 
compact between the rulers and the ruled, by which each 
party is obligated to certain duties, under the sanction of an 
oath, expressed or implied ? But what binding power has 


moral obligation on him, who has no fear of God before his 


eyes, no sense of future retribution on his mind? However 
just the laws, however virtuous the higher rulers may be, if 
amnation be generally corrupt, what power can ensure the 
just administration of the government in its minor rami- 
fications ? Can a virtuous emperor, or king, or presidents, 
or cabinet, exert an omnipresent influence throughout the na- 
tion, deterring the unprincipled magistrate from oppressing 
the poor, the widow and the orphan: especially when public 
sentiment in the surrounding community is not such as to 
restrain him? Ina republican government, moreover, there 
are many and strong temptations toa corrupt exercise of the 
elective franchise in the citizen, to corrupt, self-interested, 
partial legislation.in the representative ; which no power in 
existence can resist, save a vigorous, uncompromising mor- 
al feeling pervading the community. In short, moralor re- 
ligious principle is to the body politic, what constitutional 
vigour is to the animal frame ; it not only diffuses habitual 
energy through all its members, but tends also te heal the 
wounds from time to time inflicted on it. What then, could 
exert a more Salutary influence on our civil mstitutions, than 
the general introduction of sabbath-schools.; which, begin- 
ning in the early years of docility, impress the fear of Ged, 
the love of moral integrity, of peace, of justice on the future 
citizens, and legislators:and.executives of ourland? What 
could more effectually tend to regulate that tendency to ine- 
quality in all governments, which the agrarian laws.of Judea, 
of Sparta, and of Greece, failed eventually to restrain, than 
sabbath-schools; which, by making us.a nation of intelligent 
virtuous politicians and statesmen, would give.amoral stabil- 


ity to our institutions, against which the avistecracy of wealth 


21 


& family influence would beatin vain? And, at.some future 
day, when the storms of party spirit and local jealousies rage 
over our political ocean, when wave rises high upon wave and 
all political cords are rent asunder, what would be a safer bal- 
last for us, than that leve for one another which is inculcated 
on christians, in their earliest years in sabbath-schools ? 
| Sabbath-schools tend to preserve our country from any 
improper inflwence of the clergy. 'Vhat influence which Chris- 
tianministers, according to the will of the Saviour, were de- 
signed to exert, is justly entitled to the high and noble appel- 
lation of co-cperation with God himself. Its design iste lead 
men to holiness and happiness in time and eternity. This 
influence, from its very nature, is most desirable, and too 
much of it can never be diffused over a country. By the Sav- 
iour’s own appointment, it is connected with the progress of 
his kingdom. As the glorious gospel of the Son of God goes 
forth in its power, to elevate and bless a ruined world ; the 
“beautiful feet” of those who bear the glad tidings of peace, 
will be seen clambering over mountain after mountain, and 
traversing nation after nation, untilSatan shall be driven from 
his last entrenchment on> earth, and the whole footstool of 
God, in all its length and breadth, have been reclaimed to his 
Son for an inheritance and a possession. Powerful and conclu- 
sive is the argument of Paul: “how shall the heathen belicve 
in him of whom they have not heard, and how shall they hear 
without a preacher 2??? ‘The clamour of those therefore in our 
Jand, who cry, “down with all ministers,” is the voice of in- 
fidelity, and its real meaning is, down with all religion. Yet 
history teaches us, that, as there was a Judas among the 


twelve, so some of the Iscariot band, have in all ages, thrust 


22 


themselves into the ministry, and that, at some periods, the 
ministerial body in general, sunk with the surrounding popu- 
Jation into a state of deplorable degeneracy. ‘That men of 
this character, whom the Saviour styles wolves in sheep’s 
clothing, would be actuated by the same principles in this 
office, which governed them out of it; that their influence 
cout not serve as the channel for those blessings, which God 
designed, through them, to pour out upon the world, is obvi- 
ous. Of this we have living examples before our eyes in the 
degraded state of Italy. Spain and other Catholic countries, 
once distinguished above others for literature and science, or 
for commercial enterprize and activity ; but whose poor, op- 
pressed inhabitants are now shut outfrom the intellectual and 
moral light, which has beamed upon the Protestant world, 
Which is teaching subjects to feel, that they have civil and reli- 
gious rights whicheven theirrulers may notinvade: and forc- 
ing home upon the minds of kings and emperors, the unwel- 
come truth, that a decent regard for these rights, is essential 
tothe stability of the thrones on which they repose. And 
although we believe the present generation of ministers in 
our happy land, taken as a whole, to be as pure and sincere, as 
the same number of ministers ever was since the days of the 
apostles; yet as christians and as patriots, it is our duty to 
guard against the possibility of evil. This is the more proper 
on the present occasion, as sabbath-schools have been charg- 
ed with a tendency to produce these very evils ! 

When we inguire, how did a ministry, which had be- 
come corrupt, fail to lose its influence over the community, 
we find, that, cither ignorance and superstition among the 


people, or an unholy union of civil and ecclesiastical power 


was their chief support. ‘That a corrupt ministry could, in-’ 
dependently of these auxiliaries, exert but little influence 
over an enlightened, virtuous people, is almost a self-evident 
truth. . But the experiment could never be made. Such is 
the reciprocal influence, which the clergy and laity exert up- 
on one another, that within certain limits, their characters 
run parallel to each other ; and even when changing for bet- 
ter or worse, they will as a whole, never be found occupy- 
ing contrary extremes. Piety among the members of the 
church, tends to preserve and elevate the piety of their 
minister. Their prayers strengthen him, their admo- 
nitions stimulate him, their high expectations prevent his 
standard of duty from sinking low, Amid a wordiy people, 
the whole current of influence is reversed. In his intercourse 
with them, the servant of God finds nothing to warm his 
heart.» The desire of pleasing them, tempts him to relax a lit- 
tle the requisitions of the gospel, and the fear of losing his 
subsistence, sometimes prevents him from preaching against 
fashionable vices. The students taken from such a luke-— 
warm people to fill the future ranks of the ministry. will gen- 
erally be very different from those, brought forth and matured 
amid the fire and heat of religious revivals. Yet, without 
the two causes above specified, a ministry by becoming cor- 
rupt would necessarily lose its influence. 

It was when ignorance prevailed among the pecple. and 
was extolled as the mother of devotion, when the bible was 


concealed beneath the impenetrable veil of an unknown 


tongue, and men could not imitate the Berean example g 
searching the Scriptures to see whether these things were : 


that a corrupt priesthood made them believe the greatest ab- 


” 


24 

surdities. Did an intelligent nation, enlightened by the rays 
of bible truth. ever believe that the priest could forgive sins? 
or tolerate the abominable traffic in papal indulgences? or 
iiieve: thata tooth. ora bone ofa martyr, or achip of his 
coffin, could heal diseases ? It was the general ignorance and 
superstition ofthe people, which enabled Peter, the hermit, 
together with the popes and cardinals, to engage a large part 
of Europe inthe memorable crusades. It was owing to 
the ignorance and superstition of the people, that the papal 
hierarchy grew to its enormous dimensions; that the pope 
became the Juggernaut of Christendom, before whose bloody 
car the monarchs of Europe reverently bowed and did hom- 
age! On the other hand, the mest powerful engine ever ar- 
rayed against papacy. and that by which the glorious Refor- 
mation was chiefly effected, and its doctrines perpetuated, 
was the general diffusion of bible truth, by the translation of 
the sacred volume into the vernacular tongues of Europe, & 
the general inculcation of its doctrines on the old and the 
youne. Ofall this, his holiness is wel] aware. Else why 
evince such sensibility at the stroke of the spear?) Why hurl, 
in the nineteenth century, the thunders of the Vatican at the 
Bible societies of Europe ? Why keep in constant operation 
the infernal inquisition, by which all free inquiry is Suppress- 
edand the human mind kept bound in chains of ignorance 

ai PicrSHHOR ? Why. inour own country, do his Jesuitic 
emissaries, search up the copies of the book of God, dis- 
tithnte d among Catholics by Bible societies, as though 


bey were charged with latent poison ? 


‘Donot these symptoms: of the disease: clearly point out 


the remedy? In our own happy land ‘we have, at present, 


25 

nothing to fear from the civil authorities. Should the minis- 
try become corrupt, and yet retain any influence over the 
minds of the people, it must be through popular ignorance 
and superstition. Against these, therefore, the efforts of the 
christian and the patriot ought to be directed. But how can 
we better dispel ignorance among the future citizens of our 
1 land, than by the general introduction of sabbath-schools, in- 
to which all.of every rank and condition are admitted, and 
especially the poor, whose want of means. would otherwise 
condemn them toignorance for life? How can we better 
guard them against the gloomy reign of superstition, than 
by sabbath-schools, in which they are early made acquainted 
with the bible, the unadulterated fountain of truth. Thus 
they become qualified in afterlife to judge, whether the doc- 
trines taught, by their ministers are correct. ‘Thus they 
learn to see that their salvation depends, not on the absolu- 
tion of the priest or the favour of a minister, but on the mer- 
cy of Godin Christ Jesus. They learn that the power as- 
signed by the Saviour to the ministers of his gospel, is alto- 
gether a moral influence ; and are able to detect the very first 
attempts to transcend those bounds, should any be made 
They learn from the sacred volume, what are the specific du- 
ties prescribed to ministers, and can decide how long their 
pastor deserves . their confidence and support, and when he 
should be abandoned as unfaithful. . We rightly judge, that 
the best method. of defending our liberties against the en- 
croachment and Papacity of civil rulers, is to have our Con- 
stitution and the laws defining their powers generally circu- 
lated, and our citizens taught to read them. ‘Thus they learn 


what these officers may, and what they may not require of 


ee D 


5 
th, 3 
7 : > 


26 


them. But is it not equally evident, that our best defence 
against any future corruption of the ministerial body, must: 
be sought inthe same remedy? in the effort to teach all the 
future citizens of our land to read that holy volume, in which 


the duties of ministers are clearly defined, in which they are 


declared to be as fallible as other men, and are warned a- 


gainst unfaithfulness by all the joys of heaven and all the ter- 
rors of hell ? 

Yet still, if sabbath-schools were generally introduced, 
and the whole rising generation taught the doctrines of the 
bible, would there not, as has been alleged by the enemy, be 
some danger of thus producing the very event, before speci- 
fied as the second cause of an improper influence of the cler- 
ey, namely a union of church and state? As well might we 
ask: would not our liberties be endangered, if, in pursuance 
of Judge Livingston’s suggestion, the principles of our Con- 
stitution and laws were digested into the form of aschool- 
book, and all the rising generation made to readit? Inboth 
cases the reply would evidently be: ‘certainly not, unless 
the books themselves contain something, which favours such 
an event.”? ‘That the sacred volume would not, that it could 
not sanction a measure, which has produced the greater 
part, of all the real calamities ofthe church of. Christ, and 
lias been the greatest impediment to her spiritual prosperity 
which she has ever had to encounter, might naturally be ex- 
pected. Accordingly, no passage can be found, in which the 
Saviour, or his apostles, exhort either the Roman governors 
or the Jewish Sanhedrim, to establish his Tigi by law ; or 
te take upon themselves as civil oflicers, the management of 
any of the affairs of his church, But he docs tell us expressly, 

all 


27 

that his kingdom is not of this world; that it has no connexion 
with the dominion of Czsar, that his disciples could give un- 
‘to Cesar the things that are Cesar’s, whilst, at the same 
time, they yielded to God the things that are God’s. For 
every duty prescribed to the church, there is also some per- 
son in the church specified to perform it. The Saviour ap- 
pointed the apostles and their successors, in connexion with 
the members of the church, to perform every act of govern- 
ment and discipline, requisite for her progressive extension, — 
until the end of the world. How absurd the idea, that kings 
and other rulers, who succeed to oflice without any reference 
to ecclesiastical qualifications, should be the source of any, — 
much less, of all ecclesiastical authority Ministers of the 
gospel in such circumstances, are not the immediate servants 
of Christ, but of the civil magistrate ! Nor can they say, one 
is our Master, for they have “lords many.”’ It is therefore 
evident from Scripture, that when civil rulers undertake to 
decide, as in Kurope they often do, who shall and who shall 
not be admitted into the sacred office, what qualifications 
must be required of candidates for ordination, what doctrines 
shall be believed throughout the land and what discipline be 
practised, or rather, that no discipline at all shall be observ- 
ed; they usurp an authority, which the Saviour never con- 
fided to them, and for which they must answer at his bar. 
Certainly, then, we need entertain no apprehension, that the 
instruction of children in the doctrines of this Bible, will 

cherish predilections hostile to our liberties. 
But how has it happened, that this union has continued 4 
to subsist forso many ages, and in Europe prevails at the 


present day? It ought to be remembered that this unholy alli- 


MAR oR ei Gea te ln its eae as ‘ ier a 


20 


ance was first brought into existence, not by the suffrages of | 
a free people, nor by a decree of Synods or Councils, but by. 
the unlimited power of an individual emperor. — And the fact, . : 
that Constantine, even after he had issued edicts in favour of 
Christians, made liberal donations to be expended on Pagan 
temples, celebrated the apotheosis of his father, and appear- 
ed in public. decorated with the insignia of Jupiter, Mars, 
Hercules and Apollo; clearly proves that he was not, at least 
in the earlier part of his life, actuated by sincere attachment 
to our holy religion. But he saw that Christians were bet- 
ter subjects than Pagans, that former emperors had failed to F 
exterminate them, even by the most inhuman persecutions; 
and, as Manso, his recent German biographer shows, he found 
that Christians, although not yet a majority in the empire, 
had nevertheless become too numerous to be disregarded, and 
therefore his sagacity as a statesman prompted him first to 
tolerate them, and afterwards to incorporate their religion 
with the civil fabric of his empire. The same motives seem 
more or less to have actuated Theodosius, the first. and the 
second, Theodoric and Justinian, who confirmed this union 
_ by additional enactments, They received it,as an established. 
maxim, that no government can long subsist, unless the body 
of the people have some sense of moral obli gation ; they judged 
rightly too, that the Christian religion is better calculated to 


make faithful subjects than Paganism; but they erred inimag- | 


ining, that Christianity could not support herself, norexert 
her salutary influence on the civil institutions of a nation, un- 
“Jess incorporated with the state, This policy, sustained by the 
clergy » who entertained the same erroncous opinion, and 

» were doubtless sometimes prompted by a corruptself-interest, 


has maintained _ this union to the present day. . This opin- 


29° 


jon seems also to have prevailed among the populace of 


Europe. Hence when the question was agitated, as has re- 


peatedly been the case, which of several sects should be es-° 


tablished. by law ; for obvious reasons, each denomination 


struggled hard for its ownelevation. But until the rise of our 


own happy republic, which was reared by God to teach the. ~ 


world such important lessons of civil and ecclesiastical juris-. 


prudence; the mass of a nation had never been called on to: 


decide, whether they would tax themselves by law for the 


support of some particular form of Christianity, or tolerate 


all religions, leaving each to depend on the voluntary sup-— 


port ofits friends.. The fact, that in the first three centuries 
our holy religion not only survived amid the fires of persecu- 
_ tion, lighted up by successive Roman emperors, but extended 


2 itself over a large part of the then known world, ought. to 


have taught them the fallacy of that opinion. But its’ unpre- 
cedented prosperity in our own land under the influence of 
mere toleration, has placed the point beyond all doubt: and 
we trust there is nota single christian among us, who would 
be willing to see the kingdom of the Redeemer in this coun: 


try, cursed by such a union; nor a single citizen, who 


would willingly step forward and place his neck under the 


yoke. As sucha union would tend to exalt one sect to thede- 


\ trimentof the others; all others would be prompted to oppose 


it; and would, without the aid ofthe millions belonging to no — 


denomination, far outnumber the aspiring sect. And as all 
laws‘emanate from the people themselves, acting through 
their representatives, it appears altogether incredible, that 
the majority of our citizens should ever be willing to tax 
themselves by law; for the support of any denomination of 


ministers whatever. We see, therefore, that this dreaded 


Te a ee 


e 

) 

Lidoalt 4 
ay 
"Ey. 


: 30° 7 4 
evil sprang from state policy, and not from the instruction 
either of the old or young in the precepts of the bible, which 

teaches a contrary doctrine; and the idea, that sabbath 
schools tend to promote it, is manifestly the product either 
of ignorance, or hostility to true religion. In the mouth ofa. 
pretended christian such an apprehension amounts to this posi- 
tion: alittle Christianity is useful, but much of it will ruin 
the nation. _And, can this in truth be termed any thing else 
than infidelity ? ) 

Finally, sabbath-schools exert a most salutary influence 
on the prosperity of the church. This is indeed a copious as- 
pect of the subject, affording matter enough not only fora 
sermon, but a volume; yet, having deemed it expedient on this 


occasion to dwell upon others, we can but cast a glance at this. 
: , , : ty 
Sabbath-schools, especially upon the associated plan so me 


ri 
fy 


Net, snes 


extensively prevalent in our land, tend to banish that bigotry 
and sectarianism which have crept into the Christian church, 
which strut about in fictitious garbs; and beneath the sacred 
mantle of reli gious zeal, give vent to the most unhallowed feel- 
ings of malevolence and ambition ; which out of pretended 
love to his soul, will steal a fellow-christian from a sister 
church, or unsuccessful in this, for some trifling diversity of 
opinion, in the name of God, consign his soul to hell ! How 
‘different this from the spirit of primitive Christianity, when a 


all who loved the Lord Jesus, in any one place, lived in | 


unity together, “breaking bread from house to house and — 
eating their meat with gladness and singleness of heart!’ 
How great a stumblingblock to infidels and worldly minded 
men! how reat. an impediment to the progress of the gospel 
in villages and sparsely populated sections of our country, 


in which, united, christians might support the gospel ; but, 


31 


_ cut up into jealous and discordant ‘sects, aid hating one an- 
other as though each believed a different Christ, all must re- i 
main destitute of the stated means of grace? But Whhath« 
schools, by bringing together teachers of different denomi- 
nations, and associating them i in the same labour of love, and 
showing them that they all believe in the same gospel, & are 
travelling to the same heaven, lead them to acknowledge each 
other as brethren in reality, and to forget the minor differen- 
ces by which they are distinguished; tend to rear a genera- 
tion of christians, who have been deeply imbued with the true 
spirit and cardinal doctrines of the gospel, rather than with 
sectarian peculiarities ; who have been taught to regard the 
Church of Christ as the great object of the believer’s wishes — 
and prayers, rather than the Lutheran, the Presbyterian, the 
_ Episcopal, or any other individual part of that church; and 
~ guch christians are needed for the dawn of the Millennium ! 
Again, they increase the piety of chwrches as well as 
augment the number of their members, We might here show 
you, that sabbath-school teachers are spiritual pioneers, that 
they clear away the difficulties, which often render the 
preached word of none effect; prevent children from profan- | 
ing the Lord’s day; prepare both children and adults to hear 
with more benefit the preached word, and thus tend to in-— 
crease the number of those who are added to the kingdom 
5 of heaven. We might dwell on the extensive field for lay- 
agency, whichis opened by them in every congregation; 
in which the young convert, whose heart is burning with the 
zeal of his first love, may devote all his energies to God, in 
~ recommendin ge to all around him the rock of his salvation, We - 
~ might show, how the aged believer, and how deacons and 


elders can here aid their pastor in building up the church 5 


we might dwell upon the importance of sabbath-schools as Mi 
nurseries for future ministers and future missionaries of the 
cross, but for all this we have not time. — ‘Enough, more than — 
enough, we trust has been said to convince you all, that in’ 


whatever light we view this noble institution, it seems 


fraught with blessings, and merits your warmest support, 
Howcan we, as patriots, neglect an institution, having 


so. direct a tendency to exalt this happy land? which reduces 


our catalogue of thieves and robbers and murderers ? which 


makes good citizens of those who would otherwise grow up 
in ignorance and vice; which preserves the purity and in- 


creases the stability of our political institutions, and tends to 


shield us against future corruption inchurch and state? Nay, 


by thus promoting righteousness we may not only exalt our 


own country ; butalso exert ahappy influence on the other — 


nations of the earth. The generous politician may adopt the 
christian’s maxim: ‘the field is the world.’? How import- 
ant an influence on the general principles of international in- 


tercourse, has not the liberal policy of these United States 


already exerted ? How much more could be effected bythe — — 


united and persevering influence of several nations, in elevat- 


ing the lower ranks of society, in putting an entire stop to the 


foul traffic in human flesh, and in gradually banishing from ™ 


the family of civilized man, that mother of evils, war! 

How could we, as christians, neglectan institution which 
God has so abundantly blessed, tothe conversion of souls, 
to the extension of his kingdom? No, my hearers, let us go 


on in the good work, let us redouble our efforts, and may 


that blessed Redeemer, who commanded little children to be 


brought unto him, crown our efforts with abundant pares) ol 


and to his gracious naine be the glory ! Amen, 


